Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open thread

dramatic losses and the rise of Kuminga

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Lakers beat Warriors in double overtime… — 13 HRS AGO

I'M BLAMING THE ZEBRAS (mostly).

• Abaddon (15 ♡):

  How I have come to think about NBA officiating in relation to our beloved Dubs. I can't really believe it's an actual conspiracy, and I also can't believe that in cases like last night my blue and gold goggles are sufficiently biasing my observations to account for what happened. So what gives?

  NBA officials are trained with heuristics that allow them to officiate the game. They can't see all the fouls. So instead they look for common signs that mean a foul has likely been committed. None of this is particularly surprising or controversial.

  Now, some players are known to be able to make plays that might look like fouls without fouling. Think of Andre stripping the ball. Steph does the same thing? It's a foul. Draymond actually gets a lot of leeway from officials defensively because he has a well-earned reputation for being an elite defender. Players then build a reputation with officials and this is entered into the officiating process. Again, NBA officials aren't super human and can't literally see fouls happening a lot of the time.

  So we come into this game. The Warriors have a reputation for fouling uncontrollably (somewhat earned) and the Lakers have a reputation for not fouling (also somewhat earned). Every game we play against them, this reputation works in favor of the Lakers regardless of how much we are or are not fouling and how much the Lakers are or are not fouling. The only way we can benefit, ironically, is when officials swallow the whistle, because it erodes the edge the Lakers have in this regard. If there are a lot of fouls being called it's a guaranteed bad day for our guys. This disparity is a product of player and team reputation influencing officials as part of their process in inferring whether a foul happened or not, if the evidence is not clear and obvious in real time.

  Steph Curry falls down. A lot. He falls down after layups. He falls down after three point shots. He's also unusually strong and doesn't flop. (Okay, he will stick his leg out on three pointers occasionally). It's hard for him to draw fouls without really running into guys, which elevates his risk of injury. He's bad at grifting and when he tries it almost always backfires. It's not really a game tailor-made for drawing free throws. The NBA has occasionally used him as the literal video example for rule reform in some of these ares, when he is by far not the worst offender, which is about the closest I can get to a conspiracy against anyone.

  Can we earn a better reputation of defending without fouling? I think we can. Draymond back will help a lot, he immediately gives us a lot more credibility, and we're just actually better with him on the floor. Defenders are usually in the right place more often and play with more fire. If defenders are in the right position they're not reaching, they don't have to give up silly fouls. That way, when some calls go against us, it isn't piling on top of a bunch of self-inflicted wounds that also reinforce our perception as always fouling.

  And then there will be some nights like last night. It was just bad. The refs missed a few calls on us, sure. But overwhelming the game was slanted against us by bad officiating. And this is where those self-inflicted wounds - the unforced live ball turnovers resulting in layups and dunks, for example - combined with unfair officiating end up in a - another - close, painful loss. In a season defined by close, painful losses.

  I don't know if this helps anyone or even helps me, but it I guess does help me not descend into cray cray land where I think there's some conspiracy out to get the Dubs, which is tempting to think at times like these but in the end not credible.

• Abaddon (11 ♡):

  One other nugget from last night; Steph's game wasn't as spectacularly efficient as a bunch of other games he's had, but his Win Probability Added (WPA) of 0.895 was the third-highest of his career based on my tracking, behind only "Bang! ....... BANG!!!" and behind a Sacramento win at Chase last year. Steph has, despite some notable bobbles, been spectacular in the 4th quarter and overtime this year, which gives me hope along with all of the close losses that we do have a chance of making a playoff run, assuming we can make the playoffs...

  (WPA link for anyone interested: http://stats.inpredictable.com/nba/wpBox.php?season=2023&month=01&date=2024-01-27&gid=0022300650)

• Nellie (7 ♡):

  Okay, but counterpoint: It's already kind of inexplicable and hard to justify the portion of our brief lives we spend watching, contemplating, and posting on online forums about athletic competitions that don't even involve us, so there's naturally a bit of existential disquiet that arises anytime the competition itself appears not to have been decided in good faith by the athletes.

  That's not to say it makes for great conversation, but I for one am sympathetic to the angst.

• Abaddon (7 ♡):

  The frustrating thing about the "marginal" calls is those are called on us with regularity. If it's not a foul for either team, that's great.

  As far as the Vanderbilt foul, it doesn't look like much, but if you step frame by frame Steph literally moves at right angles in mid air after it. He's headed more towards AD and then his body moves sideways. I have never been pushed on the hip sideways jumping and fully extended up but I imagine even for an athlete as remarkable as Steph that's going to make you do wonky things. So no, not at all a flop, and "barely touches" == enough to change his direction of motion in mid air.

  I wouldn't really blame a ref for not catching that, but again we get called for marginal hand on the back stuff all the time. Consistency is the key, and we're really not getting it most nights.

• DubsNerd (7 ♡):

  Yeah, pretty bad, and you didn't even mention my favorite play (unless I missed it), the inadvertent whistle that I'm pretty sure stopped Dray from getting the rebound all alone under the basket, and most likely took away 2 more points.

  Yet, despite all of that, the full strength Lakers barely beat a Dubs team missing CP, GP and Moody, any one of which I could easily imagine swinging the balance. Doesn't seem like this season they are ever going to put it all together, but in keeping with all of the close losses this year, I can see them going on a crazy run to win 15 of the last 17 or something, but still missing the play in by one game.

  And hey, losing sucks, but it was a hell of an entertaining game, so Adam Silver and ESPN should be happy.

  Next up, the Sixers on a SEGABABA, hopefully Portland is frisky and keeps them playing to the end of the game.

• BayesGT (6 ♡):

  I guess my position is sometimes the authority figure does screw you.

  To your schooling analogy, I once received an F on a math test. Looking at the test I couldn’t find a single answer I got wrong. I had to spend an hour proving to the principal why each of my answers were correct to get the A I deserved. My girlfriend once had a professor not bother to read her paper and just give her a C because that’s all he thought she was capable of. She had to go to the dean with her paper to get the grade she deserved.

  All that is to say complaining about mistreatment isn’t always unwarranted or fruitless. Is there a conspiracy from the league to put down the dubs? Probably not. Were the Warriors blatantly disadvantaged by the whistle last night? Yes.

  On a personal note I expected this game to be terrible on the whistle against us the instant I saw Mitchell Ervin (#27) was reffing. Every game he refs for us is terrible. Not saying he’s rigging it against us, but its always an unfun whistle fest with insane calls when he’s there.

Post-game: Epic double overtime game, epic… — JAN 27

Plenty to be proud about, mad about, anything you want about

• Eric Apricot (15 ♡):

  This is not meant to make anyone feel better who doesn’t want to feel better, but after a night’s sleep:

  Last night…

  - It’s the third game in four nights for an old team with key injuries

  - in the emotional return after the devastating death of Deki

  - against a team that is a particularly poor matchup due to Anthony Davis and long Steph defenders and let’s just say, uh, referee blessings

  - due to referee tidings of comfort and joy, had Klay and Wiggins fouled out by game’s end, and didn’t have CP3 or GP2 or Moody to guard smalls and had to resort to Cory Joseph in the final defensive stand

  And we still got

  - thrilling clutch shots from Steph (multiple) and Klay

  - Wiggins playing well

  - JK playing well

  - The new starting/closing lineup looks good

  - Stupendous all around game from Dray

  - Team did not quit even down multiple possessions late in game, multiple times

  - Did I mention thrilling clutch shots from Steph (multiple) and Klay? I am savoring every last one as they hit their career home stretch.

• KlaysPaperAirplanes (13 ♡):

  Fuck the refs!

  Sorry I just got to say it.

• Golden Gate Warrior (12 ♡):

  At this point, I'm just appreciating the effort this team is giving, wins and losses be damned. Hell of a game. Incredible.

• AttilaTheHun (11 ♡):

  Kuminga HAS gotten better. Oh, the potential was always there, the physical ability was there. But he seems more comfortable on the court, makes better decisions, has some moves he didn't show until recently or not often, passes when he might have tried to push too hard and go 1 on 3 before.

• ServantOfLuna (11 ♡):

  Kerr: “I might comment on the free throws but my mom is here so I want to be on my best behavior. So I’m not going to comment on their 43 free throws to our 16. I’m not going to comment on Steph shooting three free throws in 43 minutes.”

https://twitter.com/kendra__andrews/status/1751474522099007677

• Captain Jack (10 ♡):

  Fuck the Lakers lol

• Goldarn Staid Worrier (9 ♡):

  Ok, now I’ve had coffee, let’s think eleven thoughts. Theme: Why I Enjoyed Last Night’s Game

  (1) Timing. I started the game late, after watching Jokic and company destroy the 76ers B team. Normally watching basketball until after midnight would be a drag, but double overtime on a Saturday night? Bring it on! I can sleep late.

  (2) The Old Guard. Steph, Klay and Dray brought it. Not perfectly, of course. They did dumb things, made mistakes, and Klay in particular played the first half like his hands were bound in frozen mittens. But they still fought back. Made crazy clutch shots to propel the team into overtime twice! And Dray was a menace on defense.

  (3) Steph. I will watch this team no matter what the result if Steph can play. He’s a wizard, a maestro and a 3 star Michelin chef wrapped in a crazy joyous basketball elf.

  (4) Wiggins. Actually played well on both ends of the court. 8/12 shooting, 3/4 from 3. Don’t tease us bro, be this version of yourself more often. Be you, welcome back. Did the sad alien who did not know how to shoot finally relinquish control of your body?

  (5) WTF is wrong with Laker management?? AD and Vanderbilt were both clearly gimping after departing with their injuries and then returning. Yes they were difference makers but it’s a long season. This was very stupid.

  (6) Kuminga was good, but for sure more hesitant. Maybe it’s because the Lakers are a lot taller and better interior defenders than the last few teams we played? Or maybe just an off night? But there were several plays where he just sliced through the Lakers like they were so many statues. Why not a whole lot more of that?

  (7) Lebron, when he bothers, is really good. So annoying. I HATE being beaten by him. Why did he have to score those last two points? Grrr. Hrmph, count to 3, back to Zen filled calm.

  (8) Give me more Podz please. There were a few sequences where he and then Kuminga defended against LBJ and made him miss and I thought ‘I bet those kids will be jawing about how they stuffed LeBron for weeks.’ Very cool to play against your idols and not just get torched.

  (9) The Refs. Yea I was mad too. What is going on? Why does the weird lopsided reffing never end?

  (10) Looney. The fast long rangy teams make him look … not good. But this slow long team did too. Not every player is good for 20 years. Is this the down slope for Looney? Would suck but he’s given us a lot!

  (11) Moody CP3 and GP2 aren’t going to save us. But they will definitely help more than a little. I hope.

  (12) Dray now back for, what, 3 games? and has gotten zero techs? Go Draymond. I thought he was losing his cool a bit late last night but he held it together.

  (13) TJD. I like this kid! I have high hopes. But last night he got some minutes and showed a lot of rookie rust. Burn off the baby fat big guy! Keep learning, but speed it up :).

  (14) So many thoughts! But that was a heckuva lot of basketball. And many good moments.

• rcknfn_needs_3moears (9 ♡):

  JK+OGs 5 man lineup is now +13.2 in 66 min total. So JK and Wiggs can work together.

  That and GP2/CP3 returning gets me excited except that it may already be too late.

• ServantOfLuna (9 ♡):

  I'm gonna chalk this up as a loss due to terrible officiating. Not only did the Lakers shoot and make 27 more FTs than us, but the constant whistling destroyed the Warriors momentum every time they were building it up.

• belilaugh (9 ♡):

  When you are 5 games under .500 in January, you can't really spin an L as a moral victory imo. Terrible loss.

Explain: Steph Curry helps Jonathan Kuminga… — JAN 26

JK is becoming a star

• Asher B. (12 ♡):

  The thought bubble in Kuminga's head seems often in the past to have been, "Man, get the fuck outta here with your confusing split cut bullshit. Gimme the ball and get outta the way if you want some points."

  I think that's been a justified frustration of Kerr's. Yet lately even as Kuminga seems to be learning and committing to the offense more, I also think that the two parties are moving toward compromise.

  Kerr is also saying: "Some of the time we want you to run actions, but some of the time we will feed you in the post and let you commit mayhem." This mutuality is an encouraging development.

• Chasing Rings 🏆🏆🏆🏆{DM} (11 ♡):

  He is a 00 so naturally thinks he has a license to kill. Maybe he's been working with Q to kill a little more effectively?

• BayesGT (8 ♡):

  I think its necessary to have a really solid fadeaway, because it allows him to mix it up on opponents. They don’t know whether he’s going to be pushing through or jumping away so they can’t anticipate and defend/block the shot as well. His shots are still like 70% drives and dunks, he’s not going full iso Kobe or Carmello (yet). Definitely all about having the right balance though.

• Arash (8 ♡):

  "The last two games, Kuminga and Wiggins are plus-22 in 28 minutes together. Since Green has returned, the quartet of Kuminga, Wiggins, Green and Curry are plus-30 in 32 minutes together."

  Small sample size but interesting nonetheless.

• Sanctorum (8 ♡):

  E1P scaling new heights in the audio effects department. Love it!

• DubsNerd (7 ♡):

  Slater on threads:

  There’s a notable starting lineup change for the Warriors tonight vs Lakers, I’m told. Draymond Green is back in at center next to a Kuminga/Wiggins wing combo. Profiles as their best two-way unit.

  Steph Curry

  Klay Thompson

  Andrew Wiggins

  Jonathan Kuminga

  Draymond Green

  https://www.threads.net/@anthony_slater/post/C2n8clIPRNg

  Lfg!!!

• Sleepy Freud (7 ♡):

  > Name one dude on Sacto who stood a chance, including Sabonehead

  I mean, Saboner is about the least threatening big man JK is gonna run into on the block. I actually took mild issue with Eric’s characterization of that one turnaround as “unblockable” … it might have been unblockable for Sabonis, with his short, normal-guy arms and lack of hops, but I think guys like Wemby, Chet and Gobert could have swatted it pretty easily, unless completely faked out of their shoes.

  Generally, tho: I’m PRO Kuminga from the middy — so long as it’s more of a Kawhi-like easy turnaround from 8-12 after getting deep position than a Kobe-like tough fadeaway from 18 that looks cool when it goes in but is actually the biggest reason he had a shitty .541 career TS in the playoffs.

• TwoRingTest (7 ♡):

  Completely agree that he needs one, I just don't want the fadeaway to to be his first and favorite iso move.

  I want chalk outlines under the rim. :)

• DFiB (6 ♡):

  Didn’t want to Huertem

• Alex (6 ♡):

  Wait the fog king card is real? Impressively researched. As always. Thanks EA :)

• Chasing Rings 🏆🏆🏆🏆{DM} (6 ♡):

  As always. I see E1P. I hit 🤍 Then enjoy 🙏🏽 Thanks EA for adding your unique combo of analysis and humour to our Dubs Diet. Wouldn't it be amazing if the Chase DJ added that SFX to the live game experience 😱

• Being (5 ♡):

  Chris Haynes 1-on-1 18 min interview with JK.

• Just started listening, but he starts with the hilarious lol - I’m just not used to having the ball in my hands so much and everyone trusting me so much.

Post-game: Always close enough to hurt… — JAN 25

Barnes outduels Kuminga, Steph loses ball in bad random ending

• DubsNerd (17 ♡):

  Who said: “That’s my li’l bro, man,” XXX said. “I tell him all the time, ‘No one can stop you, bro. You’re too strong. Too fast. Too good with the basketball.’ And every day he’s getting better and better. His shot is getting better. His handle. Passing. He’s getting to the rim at will. That’s why I tell him he’s that guy and to keep going.” ?

  My guess was Asher, but the correct answer is Wiggs

  From an MTII article on JK

  https://theathletic.com/5230006/2024/01/26/jonathan-kuminga-warriors-investment-thompson?source=user-shared-article

• kinbote (15 ♡):

  hi this is kinbote's kidz. We are sorri that we used our dads substack to say that kuminga should be traded last weak. he wuld never say this cuz he noes how good jk is.

• Sleepy Freud (14 ♡):

  Jonathan “Our supposed future” Kuminga per 100 possessions this season:

  29.6 pts on .605 TS

  9.0 rebounds

  +5.3 net on-off

  I could point out that our old friend Harry B turns 32 this year and is putting up a modest (though highly efficient) 19.7 pts per 100 and pulling a desultory 4.6 rebounds; and that the Kings have been +7.0 points better with him on the bench.

  Or that at Kuminga’s current age, HB was nowhere close to the player Kuminga is now (16.7 points on an almost unbelievably awful .486 TS, 7.0 rebounds).

  But I’m not sure why we can’t just be thrilled to have a 21 y.o. budding star on our team, blossoming in front of our eyes? I’m psyched to have Dray$ back on the floor as well — he looked as excited by JK’s play last night as most of us are. 😊

• Aaannnd1 (12 ♡):

  “A final word on the three-point-defense problem: The Warriors are actually the team with the lowest opponent rim rate in the league — 25.5% of opponents’ shot attempts this season have come from within four feet of the basket, per Cleaning The Glass. The team in second place (Minnesota Timberwolves) have an opponent rim rate that is 3.9% higher.

  That seems like it should be an indicator of an elite defense, but given the film and the rate of opponents’ three-point looks, that might be an indicator of something more concerning: their troubles in terms of containment at the point-of-attack are causing them to scramble and sink inside in an effort to prevent shots at the rim; in turn, they are giving up comfortable looks from beyond the arc.” Joe Viray GSOM today

• Sleepy Freud (12 ♡):

  At this point I think we might as well just run out a Steph-Klay-JK-Wiggs-Dray starting five for the next ~10 games and see what comes of it. Early returns from that group have been great; and Steph + Dray at C lineups have been great for the last, oh, ten years. I'd argue one of the biggest problems in a season that is springing leaks all over the place is just the lack of consistent rotations and roles. (And I'd argue the converse is true for successful teams like Boston, Philly, Denver, the Clips, etc.) Just pick a defensively versatile starting 5 with a nice balance of skills, and stick with it for a while.

  Bench: Podz, Moody, Saric, GP, Looney, TJD.

  No trades unless someone actively wants to take CP3 or Wiggs off our hands.

• Captain Jack (12 ♡):

  Man, what a fantastic game from JK tonight. All around too not just scoring the ball.

• Eric Apricot (12 ♡):

  Kuminga is slowly becoming a star. Once GSW figures out how to maximize Steph and JK together, good things will follow.

• rcknfn_needs_3moears (11 ♡):

  This overreaction of blaming every loss on Kerr and Wiggs is BS.

  Wiggs had a decent game and looks like his shot is coming around 17p/4a/4r

  Kerr was calling for a timeout

• Aaannnd1 (10 ♡):

  Wiggins has always struck me as a kind and sincere man who is very grateful to the Warriors for the many kindnesses they have extended to him

• fotd (10 ♡):

  I’m tired of losing close games.

• GlueAndBold (9 ♡):

  As a Giants fan, for years I was jealous of the Angels. They had Ohtani and Trout and some pretty talented other players as well, and even though they weren't ever getting anywhere, damn it would be fun to root for those guys. Well, it seems like that's kind of the worst case scenario for us Dubs fans now. Maybe the team is destined for mediocrity for a while, albeit with Curry and the OGs and Kuminga and the new G's. That's a pretty awesome worst case scenario if I'm being honest. All I ask for is a real effort and no BS antics. These guys will find a way to entertain me.

• Sleepy Freud (9 ♡):

  The thing is, even on the occasions your rants align with something true, they tend to be — as you note — truths that actually quite obvious to the roomful of grownups you’re ranting to. Only the grownups here understand the issues with a degree of depth and nuance that your posts lack.

  Let’s start with your claim that the Warriors let go of DiVincenzo “to save a few bucks” which shows a childlike misunderstanding of how the CBA works.

  At a broader level: like, everybody here gets that the Warriors are an aging dynasty, and that aging dynasties are sad. So, you don’t actually need to come running in here when the grownups are talking like you discovered something new and interesting.

  But where it goes from just boring and obvious to comedy gold is when you go from pointing out the all the obvious issues that afflict fading dynasties to insisting that they all would have gone away, if only the incompetent front office had hurried up and listened to YOU. But alas, it’s too late now! 😭

  Anyway, it’s just basketball, so maybe have some nice milk and cookies and a chill pill, and go back to your room?

Warriors are victorious over Hawks as they… — JAN 25

An emotional night led to a big win in Chase Center.

• mDuo13 (15 ♡):

  I had some thoughts about the team last night, so here are some thoughts about the arena and the fans this time.

  I've been to, I think, three Warriors games in recent memory: one vs San Antonio where Steph rolled an ankle and KD "emptied the clip" to come back and win it in the final minutes; one against Sacramento during the cursed '19-20 season; and last night. The first of those was at Oracle, the other two at Chase Center.

  The feel of the fans and the arena was very, very different. Oracle was a concrete jungle packed with raucous beasts, cheering and yelling so loud it felt like it drained the energy out of you and suffused it into the very air. I was hoarse the next day. I've been to watch some other sports and nothing compares to the manic, primal intensity of that arena at that time.

  Chase Center is nothing like that vibe. During the down season, when it was new the fans felt somewhat confused, tentative. Some were obnoxiously loud and heckling (like the guy behind Sacramento's bench yelling at Harry Barnes to shave his beard) but many more were resigned to the fact that this wasn't a winning team. Last night's crowd also seemed bewildered; so was I, unsure what kind of team I would see in the circumstances. Of course I had heard of Milojevic, I knew Loon credited him for improving his rebounding, but I didn't know who he was as a person before the tribute video; I imagine most people in attendance were little more familiar than that, so it felt like of like attending the memorial service for a stranger.

  The Chase Center facility itself is very nice: it feels state-of-the-art, there are a lot of good seats, the giant center screen helps a lot with following the action, and there are some nice food and drink options, which are very pricey of course. The fans around me did seem to know their stuff, but it was a more reserved, tentative, well-behaved fanbase. There were cheers and boos of course, but they weren't egging on the players anything like the Oracle fans. I'm sure the circumstances and the game itself contributed at first; this Atlanta team, impacted by injuries, may as well have been made of strangers, and Warriors had a comfortable lead through most of the 4th and at a few points besides that. (I feel like at some point in the 3rd, the team realized they had no one who could guard Kuminga and that was pretty much doom for the Hawks.) Probably the trepidation over Draymond being in only his second game back after suspension, the team playing in Deki's memory, and uncertainty for the future with the trade deadline looming and rumor mill in full tilt, made it hard to fully commit to cheering your heart out. Or you could blame it on economic class differences, and say that the rich San Francisco tech workers who can afford to attend the games these days are just a more introspective, quieter people. I feel a little like everyone wants to be on their best behavior to respect the arena while it still feels new, whereas a weathered old place like Oracle needs no such consideration.

  In any case, I now give credence to the theory that the fan energy level in Chase Center is not on the same level as Oracle and the team can't muster the same effort level as a result.

• Freddie (14 ♡):

  Life is much more important than my petty rivalries with fans of LBJ, KD, Booker or Clippers, Nuggets, Gobert etc.

  I can stay with this core till the end of this sad season. Makes no difference for me if it will be a play-in ending, or one or two playoff series runs. These people made me so happy in the past, even in the darker days I've been through, that I can stand and support even this 2024 team

• Eric Apricot (10 ♡):

  I was really pleased by JK’s 0-0 from three. That means he focused on inside scoring against an ATL team that had questionable rim protection and no one big and fast enough to really guard him.

  That also meant Kerr ran enough plays for him that put JK cutting towards the basket. This was a low key big thing about this game. I can’t remember Kerr ever running so many plays for JK (and here I mean all the back screens that shooters set to get JK cutting to the rim; I don’t count JK just isoing at the arc).

  The big Q going forward for JK is how he deals with big size defenders. I see him trying some stuff to get inside and it looks promising. I really don’t think shooting over them is the right answer for now. (He’s quietly been one of the worst 3P shooters in the league this year.)

• Nellie (10 ♡):

  Woke up feeling really proud of this team. They showed up absolutely last night, both emotionally and professionally.

  More even than for their physical gifts, I admire athletes for this ready access they have to what for most of us would be an unattainable duality; almost an enlightened coincidence of oblivion and focus. Truly amazing. Sustaining that may well prove impossible—often there's a crash to follow an event like last night's—but they showed real heart.

• DubsNerd (10 ♡):

  Happy to say it is just under 2 weeks until the trade deadline, and we can get back to talking about Kerr's coaching malpractice or whatever your favorite flame is, and not worry about is Mike going to trade CPIII, GPIII, Looney, JK, MM, BP, TJD, and 4 firsts for a 3 month rental of a mid level backup point guard or a big man who can't defend switches.

• ChemKoala (9 ♡):

  I didn't vote for Andrew, but any game where he's looking energetic is a wonder at this point ;)

• wonderyearsballer (8 ♡):

  I thought Draymond looked relaxed but engaged. He was having fun out there. I used to think Kerr needed to find ways to keep the OGs feeling disrespected and underrated, but what if the fix is to embrace #nothingLeftToProve and encourage them to ball out for the sheer hell of it? Just to see how high JK can fly?

• Chasing Rings 🏆🏆🏆🏆{DM} (8 ♡):

  I LOVE how hyped GPII was when JK came back after a T/O when he was picking up from 94ft!! *Stares whimsically into the imagined future over the next 5-7 years as he grows and improves towards his peak athleticism and skill... 🤤

• Asher B: Real question, although I do have my own answer that I'm sure you can guess. Still, I am interested in what people think. Given Kuminga's play this season and last regular season, which seems closer to true for you about Kerr's decision to play Kuminga not much against the Kings and not at all against the Lakers in the playoffs?

  A. Kerr was wrong. Kuminga is at the least a solid contributor and at best just the guy we needed against bigger lineups like the Lakers have. He didn't suddenly become a good basketball player in the last few months, he could have done well enough in the playoffs to merit being played and we could have really used him.

  B. Kerr was right. Kuminga's always been able to make plays, but he also made very bad decisions and looked lost in the playoffs. He is inexperienced and it showed against the Kings, and to make matters worse, when Kerr didn't play him, he made his frustration known, damaging morale.

  • Joe Barely Cares (8 ♡):

    I'm solidly in the B camp. JK looked lost last season and it took about 6-8 weeks of this season before he finally figured it out. Normal progression for a young player, particularly one who took of the game later and had to develop on a contending team where he couldn't get a lot of playing time as a rookie/sophomore. Likely best for him in the long term.

  • DFiB (8 ♡):

    Kuminga has shown much more maturity this season. Even last night when Johnson grabbed his arm resulting in a Warriors TO, instead of throwing up his hands, getting frustrated, falling behind the play, and letting it get to his head and play poorly... he knocked the ball away from Johnson on the next play, got the run out, and made the easy pass to Klay instead of forcing something. He's attacking the defense with patience instead of rushing...

    He's an infinitely more mature player than he was 2 months ago, let alone 9 months ago.

  • BayesGT (8 ♡):

    I love Kuminga but he got played off the floor in the playoffs against the Kings last year. I wish he got a chance against the Lakers, but Kerr was right to stop playing him round 1. Ideally it won’t be the case this year.

  • belilaugh (7 ♡):

    Last night was the first time in Kuminga's career he's taken that many shots without a 3. Hopefully something finally clicked, he's capable of being Denver Aaron Gordon if he's willing to accept that as his game. It took Aaron Gordon an entire failed stint in Orlando to accept it, if Kerr gets Kuminga to accept it on his rookie contract then it's one of his finest moments. We'll see though, what I'd like to see is how Kuminga fares against a matchup like the Lakers, which luckily we will be seeing very soon.

    They needed to change their second unit identity with CP3 out and bringing Draymond in as the bench 5 made a huge difference. Also some signs of life from CoJo, finally. Was an encouraging game.

  • Eric Apricot (7 ♡):

    B.

    All evidence I’ve seen for (B) comes from pointing at what JK actually did in those playoffs and how he was defended.

    Zero evidence I’ve seen for (A) comes from pointing at game tape. They are all hypotheticals like “well JK is strong and fast” or “hey he can’t be worse than injured Wiggs” or “Kerr clearly is an idiot who’s blinded by love for vets” or “look he did something great four months later”.

  • VigilanteSteve (7 ♡):

    Little of column A and a little of column B. I think the margin of error against the Kings was slim enough that Kuminga showed that he couldn't be trusted on defense (got back door'd multiple times in limited mins). I think that Kuminga should have had an opportunity against the Lakers. But we don't know what was going on behind the scenes besides that it was reported Steph's bus speech was directed at Poole and JK. Plus, the Lakers already showed in the regular season they they would refuse to guard JK at the 3 point line. But I still would have liked to see how JK would have reacted to that.

    Maybe that benching motivated JK to work harder this offseason. Whose to say. Either way, JK is performing like he is now and we can only speculate whether he would have turned in to this player with or without the path JK/Kerr took. You can argue that he was already this player, but I think he has definitely improved from the player we saw last season. There is still plenty more for him to work on, which is encouraging for more growth.

Post-game: Dubs win going away in emotional… — JAN 24

Whew

• Eric Apricot (39 ♡):

  I just wanted to tell you all that I love you

• Ando (30 ♡):

  I liked the part where they won the game.

• ServantOfLuna (23 ♡):

  Dario Saric tells us that Deki was the first person to call him at the start of free agency, telling to come play for the Warriors.

https://twitter.com/JDumasReports/status/1750401575989006562

• GlueAndBold (20 ♡):

  "We actually ran a lot of actions that he drew up." - Kerr on Decky following the game

• fotd (18 ♡):

  I want to believe this is the start of a turnaround. It feels like this tragedy has not taken the wind out of their sails but, instead, has brought the team together. It’s too early to tell, of course, but everyone played well. JK was spectacular. Draymond is back and solid. Could their missing “Brate” inspire a mature and focused joy that brings wins? Win for Deke. Or at least play well in his memory.

  If there is this vibe, a trade now would seem disrespectful.

• TwoRingTest (18 ♡):

  If we trade Kuminga to get Dejounte Murray, I'm going to break somebody's pinkies. And, yeah, I know Murray had a good game tonight.

  Kuminga in two years could be demanding double teams from most defenses.

• Sleepy Freud (17 ♡):

  Kuminga now at .600 TS on the season.

  Franz Wagner: .565.

• Asher B. (16 ♡):

  There's more where that came from with Kuminga. It's not like some flash in the pan. When you're faster than everyone, can jump higher, are stronger, and ALSO have a really good set of moves, a good shot, and a delicate touch, this *should* happen.

  His patient posting up, his drives, his footwork were all superb and those aren't going away. His midrange touch is extremely good and looked like it tonight.

  It's about shot selection as much as anything, and tonight that was excellent. Only one of his shots seemed like a bad idea, also the one where he got a bit lucky, a good bounce off the rim.

  Plus, his defense? BRUH

Game 43: GSW vs Atlanta. The season goes on… — JAN 24

Kerr on going on: "I literally could picture Deki smiling and laughing, saying ‘You motherf—— need to go win a basketball game’ and then laughing."

• mDuo13 (28 ♡):

  I'll be at the game tonight. First time since... actually, I'm not sure, maybe not since the '19-20 season where I got to see Marquese Chriss and Ky Bowman throw down at Chase Center. (ngl, I kinda miss those guys.) The tickets were a Christmas gift; the team wasn't doing THAT great at the time, but boy the color of the season has sure changed since then. I sure wasn't expecting to be attenting something as weird as the team's first game back after a tragic week off.

  In other news, my DNHQ subscription renewed recently. Much as the squad's performance this year has been confounding, it's been a lot more fun to get through it with a like-minded community, one I'm glad to continue supporting. Cheers!

• Duby Dub Dubs (15 ♡):

  Sometimes I really extra love Steve Kerr

• Eric Apricot (14 ♡):

  I’m hoping tonight’s crowd will (1) be aware of Deki’s importance, and (2) get at least one cool cheer going for him. I know American cheering technology lags way behind Europe’s but it’s time to start upping our game.

• Chasing Rings 🏆🏆🏆🏆{DM} (13 ♡):

  For Deki

• JZAlvarado (12 ♡):

  Seeing Adrian Griffin get fired yesterday made me think of how grateful I am as a Dubs fan to have Steve Kerr as our coach. I know from time to time ill blast some of his end of game decisions but it still won’t detract from the opinion that I think hes done one of the greatest coaching (managing) jobs ever this year AND that he’ll go down as one of the greatest coaches ever when all is said and done

• Eric Apricot (12 ♡):

  I’m going to the game tonight. I expect an emotional video tribute to start, then a ragged spirited game with unpredictable end result.

• Sleepy Freud (11 ♡):

  The Golden State Warriors will play a basketball game today.

• AttilaTheHun (10 ♡):

  "You motherf--kers need to go win a basketball game." — what Coach Kerr believes Decki would have said.

  DONE.

• FromMunichWithLove (10 ♡):

  I never want to hear about trading Kuminga ever again!

• TwoRingTest (9 ♡):

  This version of Kuminga is making me muy excited for the future.

• Eric Apricot (9 ♡):

  Wooof, exactly like a funeral. The whole laying of the jerseys on the empty seat. The arena was quiet and somber

  But yes, hard to go into game mode as a fan, must be 100x that for the players

Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open… — JAN 23

A week full of trade rumors and mourning for Coach Deki

• Goofus (21 ♡):

  >>> It seems possible Sports Illustrated will continue but with all text generated by AI. What a fall indeed. DNHQ dodged a bullet by not partnering with them.
  

  On the other hand, Apricot, Daniel and Duby being featured in the swimsuit edition would have been something else.

• Eric Apricot (16 ♡):

  >

  The Warriors will wear a ‘DM’ patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season in honor of assistant coach Dejan Milojević.

  >

  Picture at https://www.threads.net/@warriors/post/C2duVtqpdG1

• DubsNerd (11 ♡):

  Just checked the box score - Uzman with 20 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes!

• ServantOfLuna (9 ♡):

  The Warriors say they will wear a “DM” patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season in honor of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic – and logo will appear on the Chase Center court for all remaining home games this season.

https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1749966023665832051

• Captain Jack (8 ♡):

  It's going to be hilarious when Doc Rivers takes over in MIL and they lose to Miami in the 2nd round because Doc has no idea what he's doing

• ServantOfLuna (8 ♡):

  Steph Curry said the locker room brotherhood and trying to celebrate Dejan Milojevic’s legacy is helping the team mourn: “It’d have been really hard to play those first few days, to be completely honest.”

  He was wearing a Brate shirt, too.

https://twitter.com/ShaynaRubin/status/1749903177842126923

• Five Alarm Freddy (8 ♡):

  I am trying, but I just can't get my mind to think about basketball. I still appreciate all of your comments. This is such a weird year.

• Sleepy Freud (7 ♡):

  (per 36, career)

  Player A

  17.5 pts on .690 TS

  10.7 reb / 2.7 ast / 2.1 blk

  1.9 tov / 4.2 fouls

  +4.8 on court / +7.1 net on-off

  ====

  Player B

  14.9 pts on .665 TS

  10.9 reb / 2.1 ast / 2.6 blk

  1.4 tov / 3.5 fouls

  +2.5 on court / +3.4 net on-off

  Player A is TJD, who is ~250 pounds and is under contract for the next 3.5 seasons at **Under $2M a year.** Player B is Nic Claxton, who is ~220 pounds, making $9.6M this season and about to hit free agency and likely command eight figures going forward.

  Athletic Alchemy’s suggestion that the Warriors trade BOTH Kuminga and Moody for this incredibly dubious “upgrade” to TJD is so absurd and poorly thought out it makes me want to boycott his show till the trade deadline is over, much as I find him entertaining and informative when he’s not playing with the trade machine.

  (That said, his attempted pronunciation of “Yuta Watanabe” is pretty hilarious…)

• ServantOfLuna (7 ♡):

  Steve Kerr after two days of practice: “We’re coming in and practicing, but it doesn’t feel normal at all … practice is competitive and upbeat, but the awareness is constant.”

https://twitter.com/kendra__andrews/status/1749894249301311939

• ChemKoala (7 ♡):

  I've been riding the wave of sadness and misplaced ego this season. I've been treating this season as an opportunity for me to readjust everything else in my life that I've neglected given all the free time not watching every game has opened up for me.

• SD (6 ♡):

  Sam Vecenie recently ranked the rookies by their production so far this year (not a redraft or ranking of potential), and has Podz 6 and TJD 15. It also includes a nice breakdown of Podz’s game.

  https://theathletic.com/5205549/2024/01/23/nba-rookie-rankings-victor-wembanyama-jaime-jaquez/?source=user_shared_article